Improvement in fruit-gatherers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. BARRY AND ALFRED M. BARRY, OF SHERIDAN TOWNSHIP, MICH.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRUIT-GATHERERS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,966, dated August 15, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES S. BARRY and ALFRED M. BARRY, both of the township of Sheridan, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain Improvements in Fruit-Pickers, of which the following is a speciiication:

Ourinvention relates to the combination, with each other and with a pair of long wooden tongsshaped handles, of two bow-irons, carrying a bag to receive the severed fruit; and also of one rigid bow-clamp and one spring bow-clamp, which act in concert to grasp and hold the bough steady while the bag-bows are breaking oftl the fruit; our object being to prevent any jar in the act of picking, which tends so much to shake off other ripe fruit from the tree, which, falling on the vthe two bow-irons to which the bag C is hung,

and are simply light iron rods, bent at one end to a semicircle and having' iiattened shanks to connect them with the handles. The bow-iron B is bolted through a short shank-connection to the longer handle A, and the bow-iron B has a longer shank, as seen at b, and is bolted to the shorter handle A. The top of the bag is cut to form two side ilaps, e e, that are folded and stitched over the bows, and the cloth should be so gathered or puckered, especially around the bow-iron B, as to give such fullness to the cloth of the bag on that side as will permit a large apple, for instance, to pass partially under. D is the rigid and D the spring bow-clamp. The clamp D is an iron rod, having a semicircular bend of rather larger radius than the bow-iron B. Its flattened shank is bolted to the handle A by the same bolts that fasten the bow B, but it has a longer offset bend, as at d, so that the semicircular bend will stand parallel with, but at a proper distance apart from, the said bow B. This clamping-bow might be leftJ projecting from the handles, as do the others; but to prevent the curved end from catching in the tree, and to furnish a guard for that side of the bag, we generally extend the rod, as shown at t, around that part of the bag and imite the end with the straight flattened section through which the bolts pass. The spring bow-clamp D is formed with a semicircular head which matches and stands parallel with and opposite the sister clamp D; and the main reason of cutting the handle A short and lengthening' the rod-stem of the bow B equal to the proper length of the spring clamping-barj" is the convenience of being able to secure both by the saine bolts.

To meet all conditions of the hanging fruit, it is best to set the bow B of the bag a little higher than the bow B; and the clamping-bows should Y have such projection that, when clamping a bou gh, the bag-bow can vibrate with sufficient clearance underneath.

The operator passes the open mouth of the bag C over the hanging fruit, and, partially drawing the long handles in his grasp together, the clampin g-bows D and D close and clamp the fruitbough between. Holding'the bough steady, he continues the closing motion, when the elasticity of the clamp-springf allows the bag-bow B to vibrate under and past the said clamps, carrying the fruit with it, as may be seen in Fig. 2, where mis the bough and n an apple just severed at the stem.

tially under the higher bow B into the fullness or bulge of the bag 5 consequently, it cannot tip up, but must be severed at the stem by the impact of the bow B, which, being cushioned by the bag, will not bruise. Y

We have said hereinbefore that the bow B should carry that side 0f the bag, but it is very evident that, were it desirable, the ear or flap of that side of the bag might pass over the bow B and be folded over and stitched to the clampingbow D without altering the character of our invention.

The parts constituting our improvement are It will be seen that the fruit must pass parl few, simple, and inexpensive, yet reliable for ing-bow D, mld spring clamping-bow D', subgathering safely the fruit from :L tree without stu'utlally in the 11111111101' sind for the purpose set loss byjm-ring any off. forth.

We cia-im as our invention- JAMES S. BARRY. The n-irmigelllelit and combination, with each VituesSe/s: ALFRED M. BARRY. other and with the handles A A and fruit-1'@- C. F. COOK, @Giving bag C, of the bag-bows B B7 rigid clmnp- O. H. COOK. 

